Movies Blog : foreign filmshttp://evpl.org/community/blogs/movies/archive/tags/foreign+films/default.aspxTags: foreign filmsenCommunityServer 2008 SP1 (Build: 30619.63)The Spirit of the Beehivehttp://evpl.org/community/blogs/movies/archive/2008/12/30/the-spirit-of-the-beehive.aspxWed, 31 Dec 2008 01:07:00 GMT9a7b961d-7882-4302-b701-732ca0e566f2:1089wag.mado@evpl1http://evpl.org/community/blogs/movies/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=1089http://evpl.org/community/blogs/movies/archive/2008/12/30/the-spirit-of-the-beehive.aspx#comments<p><b><img width="150" src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/12/707712.jpg" alt="The Spirit of the Beehive" height="234" style="float:left;" />Thanks to a recommendation by my friend, I watched a stunning film this weekend. Set in a Castilian village somewhere in early 1940&#39;s rural Spain, this movie has won international acclaim as a masterpiece -&nbsp;labeled one of the greatest Spanish films of the 1970&#39;s. On the surface, it is a coming of age story in which six-year-old Ana, played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868479/" title="Ana Torrent">Ana Torrent</a>, tries to make sense of the world after seeing a young girl die in the classic 1931 film, <i><a href="http://evans.evpl.org/search~S0?/tfrankenstein+v/tfrankenstein+v/1%2C1%2C5%2CB/frameset&amp;FF=tfrankenstein+videorecording&amp;3%2C%2C5/indexsort=-" title="EVPL catalog entry">Frankenstein</a>.</i> However, the movie is chock-full of symbolism and is also a commentary on life at the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War.&nbsp; The cinematic photography shot by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0190834/" title="IMDB Luis Cuadrado">Luis Cuadrado</a> (who was going blind while the film was being made) is stark and breathtaking. &nbsp;Each scene seems to stay in your memory as a snapshot. &nbsp;As with many foreign films, the pace is hauntingly slow and the dialogue is sparse, adding to the intense feeling and emotion of the storyline. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854440/" title="Isabel Telleria">Isabel Telleria</a> plays the innocent Ana&#39;s older sister Isabel,&nbsp;and has a menacing side to say the least. &nbsp;Together, these beautiful little girls bring this powerful story to life. </b></p>
<p><b><i><a href="http://evans.evpl.org/search/t?SEARCH=spirit%20of%20the%20beehive" title="EVPL catalog entry">The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)</a></i> was written and directed by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0258977/" title="IMDB Victor Erice">Victor Erice</a> and is one of <a href="http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/erice.html">only three movies</a> he made over a 20 year period. The other two films, <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084740/" title="IMDB &quot;The South&quot;">The South (1982)</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105438/" title="IMDB &quot;The Quince Tree Sun&quot;">The Quince Tree Sun (1992)</a></i> are also highly regarded.&nbsp; </b></p>
<p><strong>Treat yourself to</strong> <strong><i>The Spirit of the Beehive</i>.&nbsp; It now ranks among my top ten favorite foreign films.</strong></p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://evpl.org/community/aggbug.aspx?PostID=1089" width="1" height="1">dvdreviewsgood and evilfamiliesmoviesmurderfilmsdyingchildhoodSpainforeign films